The Brooklyn Nets boast a revamped roster entering year two of a rebuild. After an NBA-record five first-round picks in June's draft and four offseason trades, several players will be vying for minutes.
With that, we project what second-year head coach Jordi Fernandez's rotation will look like at the start of the 2025-26 campaign.
Projecting Nets' rotation to start 2025-26 campaign
PG: Egor Demin/Ben Saraf/Nolan Traore
The Nets are making a concerted effort to finish higher in the draft lottery standings than last year. That tanking urgency is exemplified by the team's inexperienced ball-handling rotation. Egor Demin, the team's first lottery pick since 2010, should open the season as Brooklyn's starting point guard. The No. 8 pick missed most of training camp with a plantar fascia tear. However, he was impactful while making his NBA debut during Friday's preseason finale, posting 14 points, five rebounds and an assist in 19 minutes.
Ben Saraf outplayed Nolan Traore this preaseason and is the favorite to fill Brooklyn's backup point guard role. The Israeli floor general played 22 minutes on Friday, compared to six for Traore, who will likely spend time in the G League early in the season. Despite this, expect all three of the Nets' rookie point guards to see NBA minutes throughout the year.
SG: Cam Thomas/Tyrese Martin/Drake Powell
Cam Thomas opens the year as the Nets' lead offensive option alongside Michael Porter Jr. While the 24-year-old's failed offseason contract negotiation could result in a midseason trade, he remains Brooklyn's starting shooting guard for now. The rotation spot behind Thomas is the team's top question mark entering the season.
Tyrese Martin was on a non-guaranteed contract but earned a roster spot after a strong training camp performance. Further, Martin appears to have a rotation role to open the year. The former second-round pick played with Brooklyn's second unit for most of the preseason. Meanwhile, Powell is among several rookies expected to play in the G League early this season before being called-up.
SF: Terance Mann/Ziaire Williams/Jalen Wilson
Terance Mann is penciled in as a starter as the Nets' oldest player. Meanwhile, Ziaire Williams has been among Brooklyn's most impactful players this preseason after signing a two-year, $12 million contract extension. The 24-year-old averaged 17.5 points on 13-of-22 shooting from the field (59.1 percent) and 8-of-14 from three (57.1 percent) over the team's last two preaseason games. He is locked into a spot in Brooklyn's second unit.
Meanwhile, Wilson edged out Dariq Whitehead and Kobe Bufkin for Brooklyn's final roster spot. The 24-year-old appeared in 79 games with 22 starts last season, averaging 9.5 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists on 40/34/82 shooting splits. However, he's unlikely to have a rotation role early this season, with several veterans ahead of him at the forward positions.
PF: Michael Porter Jr./Noah Clowney/Haywood Highsmith
Porter Jr. has a strong case for Brooklyn's most improtant offensive player alongside Thomas. The 27-year-old will offer a safety blanket for the rookie point guards as an elite floor-spacer and big-bodied target on cuts to the rim. After battling numerous back injuries early in his career, Porter Jr. has been an iron man the last two seasons, missing only six regular season games.
Clowney is entering a pivotal third season and will serve as the Nets' backup power forward. The 21-year-old showed promise as a shooter early last season before suffering three ankle sprains. He'll need to develop as a ball-handler, interior scorer and defender to secure a place in Brooklyn's long-term plans.
Highsmith suffered a setback during his rehab following offseason mensicus surgery and will be sidelined for at least two months. Given Brooklyn's decision to keep him over Whitehead and Bufkin, he should see minutes at one of the forward positions upon his return. The 27-year-old is on a $5.6 million expiring contract and, if healthy, could have value to a contender at the trade deadline.
C: Nic Claxton/Day'Ron Sharpe/Danny Wolf
Claxton enters the season as Brooklyn's starting center and longest-tenured player. However, the 26-year-old could be a trade candidate as the year progresses. Day'Ron Sharpe should see his workload increase after signing a two-year, $12 million extension this summer. Sharpe posted a +13.3 net rating last season. That was the third-highest among all big men to play over 700 minutes, behind only Nikola Jokic and Ivica Zubac, per CleaningTheGlass.
Wolf spent time at power forward and center throughout training camp. With Claxton, Sharpe, Porter Jr. and Clowney ahead of him in the frontcourt rotation, he is expected to spend time in Long Island early this season. However, Fernandez said the 21-year-old will recieve an NBA opportunity at some point. The Nets will use Wolf's G League minutes to assess what position best suits him moving forward, as they did with Clowney during his rookie campaign.
